Honey Glazed Pork

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

450 grams boned pork chops at least 3.5cm thick

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 spring onions

2 slc fresh ginger

1 tablespoon oil

braising sauce

400 ml rice wine or 150ml dry sherry mixed with 300ml

110 grams sugar or Chinese rock sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns or roasted Sichuan

Preparation

Lightly salt the meat and set it aside.

Cut the spring onions into 7.5cm lengths and curt the ginger into slices 7.5cm x .5cm.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan.

Reduce the heat and then add the spring onions and ginger.

After a few seconds add the meat and cook it until it browns.

Bring the braising sauce iagredients to the boil in a heavy pot or casserole and then turn the heat down to a simmer.

Add the browned pork spring onions and ginger mixture.

Turn the heat as low as possible cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the pork is tender.

When the chops are cooked remove them from the liquid and let them cool slightly before you slice them cutting them diagonally.

Remove any surface fat from the braising liquid and spoon some of it over the pork slices.

Serve immediately.

The rest of the braising liquid can be cooled and frozen for future use. (Remove any surface fat before transferring it to the freezer.)

Serve with plain steamed rice and a simple green vegetable dish.

This is my adaptation of a famous Chinese dish called Honey Flam with Lotus Seed. Chinese ham is braised in sugar rice wine and lotus seeds until the mixture is reduced to a syrup which glazes the ham like honey. This process usually takes about 4 hours but I have found that the method can be applied to thick pork chops taking considerably less time but with excellent results.